Belleview commission appoints Livsey to serve out Loar's term

Published: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 12:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 12:29 p.m.

BELLEVIEW — The race to fill a vacant seat on the Belleview City Commission drew five candidates — a diverse range of age, gender, experience and ideas — and longtime resident Ronald Livsey squeaked ahead to win the election on Tuesday evening.

“Although everyone was impressive, maybe he was the most rounded candidate,” Mayor Christine Dobkowski said after the vote.

Livsey, 68, will immediately fill vacant Seat 3, previously held by Wilma Loar, who resigned on June 4 after serving for several years. He will hold the seat until the election in November 2014, when he can run for the seat’s full four-year term.

The commission is tasked with enacting laws, regulations and policies that govern the city and its activities, approving the annual budget and subsequent amendments, and appointing members to various boards, among other responsibilities.

After the commission’s regular meeting at 6 p.m., the mayor called for the special meeting to start. She asked all five candidates to leave the room and then called them in individually to give a short speech and answer any questions posed by the commission.

The mayor and three commissioners then ranked the candidates by number, read their lists out loud, and the lists were tallied. Under the scoring system employed, the candidate with the lowest score would win the election.

Livsey received six points, narrowly beating out Christy Jergens, who got seven points. Also running were Diane S. Kleier, John Burt and Harold L. Lambert II.

The candidates described ideas for various Belleview improvements including capitalizing on the city’s proximity to The Villages, bringing in more local businesses, increasing revenue through animal control, and restoring confidence in government.

After the vote, Livsey stood before the commission, placed his left hand on a Bible held by his wife, Patricia, and repeated the oath of office.

“I’m a fair and just person and I promise I will work to the best of my ability to what is best for the city of Belleview and the citizens of Belleview,” Livsey said during his interview with the commission. He has lived in Belleview for 35 years and raised both his children and grandchildren in the community.

He currently serves on the Code Enforcement Board but will now have to resign because of his new position.

When asked by Commissioner Gary Ernst to tell the board something about himself not listed on the application, Livsey said he has coached girls’ Little League, enjoys talking politics and has very strong feelings about his pro-life stance.

He holds a degree in business administration and is currently retired from managerial positions at Skyline Corp. and Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.

When asked his views on annexation, Livsey told the commission he agrees with the concept, but it must be controlled. “We must have a reason for it, not just do it because we want to grow our city base-wise.”

Livsey looks forward to the upcoming budget negotiations to see if there is any space to add another city employee or a few more positions to the Belleview Police Department.

He told the commission he had run for a seat before and lost, and if he lost again on Tuesday night he would have run again in 2014.

“I feel to be a good commissioner you must love this city, he said. “And I love this city.”

<p>BELLEVIEW — The race to fill a vacant seat on the Belleview City Commission drew five candidates — a diverse range of age, gender, experience and ideas — and longtime resident Ronald Livsey squeaked ahead to win the election on Tuesday evening.</p><p>“Although everyone was impressive, maybe he was the most rounded candidate,” Mayor Christine Dobkowski said after the vote.</p><p>Livsey, 68, will immediately fill vacant Seat 3, previously held by Wilma Loar, who resigned on June 4 after serving for several years. He will hold the seat until the election in November 2014, when he can run for the seat's full four-year term.</p><p>The commission is tasked with enacting laws, regulations and policies that govern the city and its activities, approving the annual budget and subsequent amendments, and appointing members to various boards, among other responsibilities.</p><p>After the commission's regular meeting at 6 p.m., the mayor called for the special meeting to start. She asked all five candidates to leave the room and then called them in individually to give a short speech and answer any questions posed by the commission.</p><p>The mayor and three commissioners then ranked the candidates by number, read their lists out loud, and the lists were tallied. Under the scoring system employed, the candidate with the lowest score would win the election.</p><p>Livsey received six points, narrowly beating out Christy Jergens, who got seven points. Also running were Diane S. Kleier, John Burt and Harold L. Lambert II.</p><p>The candidates described ideas for various Belleview improvements including capitalizing on the city's proximity to The Villages, bringing in more local businesses, increasing revenue through animal control, and restoring confidence in government.</p><p>After the vote, Livsey stood before the commission, placed his left hand on a Bible held by his wife, Patricia, and repeated the oath of office.</p><p>“I'm a fair and just person and I promise I will work to the best of my ability to what is best for the city of Belleview and the citizens of Belleview,” Livsey said during his interview with the commission. He has lived in Belleview for 35 years and raised both his children and grandchildren in the community.</p><p>He currently serves on the Code Enforcement Board but will now have to resign because of his new position.</p><p>When asked by Commissioner Gary Ernst to tell the board something about himself not listed on the application, Livsey said he has coached girls' Little League, enjoys talking politics and has very strong feelings about his pro-life stance.</p><p>He holds a degree in business administration and is currently retired from managerial positions at Skyline Corp. and Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.</p><p>When asked his views on annexation, Livsey told the commission he agrees with the concept, but it must be controlled. “We must have a reason for it, not just do it because we want to grow our city base-wise.”</p><p>Livsey looks forward to the upcoming budget negotiations to see if there is any space to add another city employee or a few more positions to the Belleview Police Department.</p><p>He told the commission he had run for a seat before and lost, and if he lost again on Tuesday night he would have run again in 2014.</p><p>“I feel to be a good commissioner you must love this city, he said. “And I love this city.”</p><p><i>Contact April Warren at 867-4065 or april.warren@ocala.com.</i></p>